Feb 27, 2019 job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why god permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. The prose prologue chapters one and two and the epilogue 42. Prologue 1 in the land of uz there lived a man whose name was job. According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that the fear of the lord, that is wisdom. In the land of uz there lived a man whose name was job. But the adversary satan in hebrew points out an apparent problem in gods moral oversight of the universe. Finally, pulling both from yesterdays sunday mass readings and from the office of readings job 1. The title character of the book of job suffers terribly, but we should not mistakenly think that this book is just about job. When god rebukes job s three friends, we see they are guilty of a far worse assumption than job.
Nevertheless these ways of god with mankind have always a good purpose romans 8. Our motives, while readily apparent through times of strife, are something which we can effortlessly overlook and hide from others, even unintendedly. But often our questions are too limited, and we must learn to ask better questions so that we. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job. But there is a marked contrast between how the author expresses the narrative and how job speaks. The niv bible in 365 daily readings with special helps on prayer hardcover january 1, 1996 by international bible society author 4. Now there was a day when the sons the angels of god came to present themselves before the lord, and satan the adversary and accuser also came among them. John joseph of the ffi calls to mind that we are stewards in this world, and we need to use the things of this world for the greatest glory of god. For in the end the lord says of job when addressing his three friends, i am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant job has job 42. The same contrast exists between the narrative passages and the words.
Job is a wealthy and godfearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. Jul 31, 2020 through a great swathe of the book of job from the beginning of chapter three to the end of chapter 31 we are listening, largely, to job himself. The book of job is rightly understood to be a masterpiece of hebrew poetry and western literature. Regardless, job continues to be devoted to god, and saying his life has seen no sin. If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales. The author of job may be acknowledged through reading. Habel has contributed a small but helpful study for preaching the whole book of job. As liberation theologian gustavo gutierrez writes, the book of job does not claim to have found a rational or definitive explanation of suffering. In the end god blesses job with twice as much as he had before. The central figure in the book of job, jobs intense suffering supplies the framework for the primary theme of the book, which deals with the role of suffering in the life of a believer. This bible study book of job was originally part of a series of devotions written in 2008 while going through the bible chronologically. One day the angels came to present themselves before the lord, and satan also came with them. I hope youll join me as we continue to look at the book of job in the coming weeks. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering.
Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. We enter this week into one of the most difficult and theologically sophisticated books of the old testament. The book of job, like the lament psalms, serves to keep us honest. The lord speaks then the lord spoke to job out of the storm. My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because i am greatly disturbed. He loses his livestock, his servants, and his children. However, the date when the book was written and by whom it was. Job 38 niv the lord speaks then the lord spoke bible. His wife turns against him in these times of affliction. This expression is used repeatedly to refer to inspired scripture. Job then humbly admits his own limited understanding. The depth he offers in understanding the ancient near easts thinking on suffering was priceless. The book of job is part of the old testament collection of wisdom literature, along with proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of solomon. One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1.
However, the name does occur in genesis 46 and ezekiel 14. We know that he had access to the information he would need to write job. The book of job niv audio holy bible high quality and. The devils world is unfair and unjust, and even though. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. Ones thoughts could wander far from christ, but these were plays of fancy, without the. Whether we have a life of ease or hardship on this earth, we have this hope.
Job niv application commentary nivac logos bible software. The first possibility is, of course, the subject of the book himself. 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. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. The book of job 3 the book of job introduction to the book the book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. In the book of job, god uses the trials that job faces to show the reader his lesson about the motives underpinning their faith. Therefore it is not an indepth study of job in the bible. Mar 03, 2014 a reflection on the b ook of job and suffering posted on march 3, 2014 by kathleen suffering love alone can bring us to our senses and the real meaning of life ven. Written for a highly educated jewish audience, job is a dramatic poem bookended by a popular folktale. These targeted reflection exercises can help you gain selfawareness that. Guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job. But his authorship is still no more likely than other suggestions such as isaiah or someone in the time of david and solomon.
The author, date, and place of the book of job are all uncertain. The book of job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom. Reflections on suffering from the book of job, bibliotheca sacra 154 616 oct. Poor jobs life falls to pieces seemingly because god wants to show satan that job is truly a faithful follower. Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge. How do you trust god even when life isnt fair and you suffer for no good reason. 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. The hakamim, or wise men, were a class of philosophers or te achers who believed that. Nov 16, 2019 as liberation theologian gustavo gutierrez writes, the book of job does not claim to have found a rational or definitive explanation of suffering. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. Satan is behind this false concept and delights in using. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by job s counselors. Job 38 niv bible then the lord spoke to job out of the.
Apr 05, 2020 to stand out in job searches, interviews, and while at work, you need to know how you perform best and what motivates you. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas no wonder my words have been impetuous. As i begin to read the book of job, i began an exploration of the issue of human suffering despite gods goodness and power throughout the ages, the questions of why people suffer and why evil continues. There are 12 devotions including this one from the book of job. This wisdom book of hebrew poetry portrays the suffering of job, his patience, and loyalty to god. Jun 25, 2019 job is one of the most famous people in scripture, yet he is rarely listed as a favorite bible character. Jesus said to her, i am the resurrection and the life. Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass, or an ox bellow when it has fodder. When whirlwinds speak, mike baughman, the hardest question, 2012. 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. The arrows of the almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison. Prologue in the land of uz there lived a man whose name was job. Job s story invites us to consider what it means that god runs the world by.
The book of job in the bible was always challenging for me to read. What job meant to say had he girded up his loins, michael coffey, 2012. The book of job belongs to what we call the wisdom literature of the old testament. Bible study book of job job 15 devotional reflections. It is a sacred text that leaves us with more questions than answers. The book of job anticipates the person and work of christ in a number of ways. John walton does what i consider a thorough analysis of the book of job, including the background and assumptions for the dating of its origin, the placement of the references, the ultimate objectives of the book, and an understanding of god per the full story. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, perhaps my children have sinned and cursed god in their hearts. The exploration ends with some reflections on job in the epilogue of the book. The book warns us to avoid reducing gods moral rule to easy formulas. Job was a wealthy but righteous and godfearing man.
The subject of the book of job is gods dealings with mankind in his governmental ways in a world in which satan, the adversary of god, has introduced sin, suffering and death. Ask the holy spirit to make the word come alive to you for that day. The same contrast exists between the narrative passages and the words of elihu, friend of job. Job 1 niv prologue in the land of uz there bible gateway. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely think to ask, why do good people prosper. He was the greatest man among all the people of the east. Nothing is certain about the identity of the author of job, though bible scholars have made suggestions throughout the years job. Testing comes into every christian life for without it our faith cannot be. The book of job from the holy bible new international version niv book 18please note we have increased the volume and the pitch of the audio for a. Niv new international version nkjv new king james version rsv revised standard version. 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. Job is an unlikely candidate because the book s message rests on job s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. Waltons book on job is one of the most superb commentaries ive ever used. Testing comes into every christian life for without it our faith cannot be properly refined in order for us to grow spiritually, the.
After awhile he just wanted to go to god and talk to him. Overview of the book of job third millennium ministries. The most direct connection between christ and this book lies in the fact that christ is the wisdom of god 1 cor 1. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. The author specifically addresses individuals with intimate faith in yahweh god. The most popular bible verses from job found 1,070 verses job 1. A reflection on the book of job and suffering catholicism. Every time i read the book of job, i was moved by his experience and have always had an ever increasing admiration for him. Scripture quotations marked niv are from the new international version of the holy bible, 1978 by zondervan bible publishers. Job 1 1 in the land of uz there lived a man whose name was job.
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. His detail in explaining hebrew word usage assures that the reader will gain a thorough understanding of the text, and his analysis of the role various characters play was tremendously helpful. Job is one of the most famous people in scripture, yet he is rarely listed as a favorite bible character. As the first poetic book of the english bible, job introduces the reader to the idea of hebrew poetry, which involves the repetition and combination of ideas more than sounds. Team bs weekly reflection andrew crotty, duane parks, tiffany humes, zenaida junes hrm531 july 3rd, 2011 cathy mccullough learning team bs weekly reflection the podcast identified the string of attachment between job analysis, to job descriptions, and last to a job specification. Many have thought that the book simply restates the perennial questions that plague humankind in a world full of suffering. As we do so, one thing stands out more clearly than anything else. Job is referred to as a historical character in the scriptures see ezek. Can the book of job be considered a work of fiction. The prose section of the book of job is a gigantic, sweeping drama that encompasses earth and heaven.
The book of job uses a common literary device from the wisdom traditions of the ancient world. Five ways to boost your career through targeted reflection. This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. The impatience of job, john holbert, opening the old testament, 2012. 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. Jan 29, 2020 the book of job in the bible was always challenging for me to read. Finally, a young man shared more of what he believed was going on. The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the book of job. Reflection of the book of job in this context, i believe god is being unfair to job because his suffering is not a consequence of what he has done, but of something he hadnt, and was a result of a bet between satan and god. As you study each day ask the lord to speak to you through his word. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions.
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