The book of Job is about suffering man and the pressing question of why the righteous must suffer. Scientists cannot date the book accurately. It was probably written in Edom and may have originated between 300 or 800 BC. Certain words in the book are closely related to Arabic and Aramaic. The whole thing takes place in a typical Semitic society, in which pastoral life is central. The book contains a dramatic complaint from the suffering Job, which culminates in a dispute between God and man. The book of Job belongs to the wisdom literature, such as the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and is one of the most beautiful literary books of the Old Testament.
Dealing with suffering past and present
In our contemporary culture, people have often forgotten how to deal with the tragic sides of life, yet they still struggle with the meaning of life. There remains a tragedy in life that is often incomprehensible. The ancient classical Greek tragedies tell about this, but also the book of Job. These scriptures teach that suffering is part of existence. In the Bible we read that people talk to God and have their complaints, this is especially reflected in the Psalms and the book of Job.
Why must the righteous suffer?
For example, Psalm 73 and the book of Job deal with the mystery of why the righteous must suffer. It is the main question of the Old Testament.
Harold S. Kushner (USA rabbi born 1935) wrote the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. It was reprinted several times in the Netherlands in the 1980s and is also about the question of why evil affects innocent people and how to deal with suffering.
The book of Job is about suffering and the causes of suffering. The writing is about the power of God and the smallness of man, who is allowed to protest. It is a colorful book, containing many wisdom and life lessons. The quotes from the Bible below are taken from The New Bible Translation (2004).
Credit: Phillip Medhurst, Wikimedia Commons (Publiek domaine)
First hat
We read the first sentences of the book of Job:
In the land of Us lived a man named Job. He was righteous and blameless, he feared God and shunned evil.
Job was also rich, but that is not the first thing told about him. The most important thing is put first, not Job’s power and position, but his faith and lifestyle.
Job is a righteous man and is on a par with other righteous men in the Bible: he is a man like Noah. It is precisely this righteous and faithful Job who ends up in incomprehensible suffering. Will he abandon his faith? Will He reject and curse God, as his wife advises him: Curse God and die! (Job 2:9).
Job then says to his wife:
Your words are the words of a fool. We accept all good from God, should we not accept evil? Despite everything, Job did not sin or speak an unruly word (Job 2:10).
Job does not abandon God and never rejects Him, but later in the book Job does debate with God and his friends. Job does not accept and does not understand that so much suffering happens to him. The friends say that it is Job’s sinfulness and that Job must confess it.
But Job goes against the words of the friends. Job always acknowledges that God is omnipotent, but he wonders whether God’s government is fair and just.
A man from the country of Us
Job is from the land of Us. So he is not an Israelite and does not live in the promised land. The land of Us is the land of Edom. The land of the Edomites, a people under whom Israel suffered deeply, a people who wreaked havoc on Israel in a horrible way. God himself says of him (1:8) There is none like him (Job) on earth; he is righteous and blameless, he fears God and shuns evil. So even in Israel such a righteous man as Job does not exist!
Satan’s function
One can consider the conversation between God and Satan to be remarkable. However, Job knows nothing about this. Here Satan has the role of accuser in the heavenly court of God. Later in the Bible, Satan is given a different function, a different position: then he becomes the enemy of God and incites people to evil. In the New Testament, the devil is defeated by Jesus and will ultimately be destroyed.
Satan has noticed Job and says to God: Would Job really fear God so much for no reason? If Job were to get into big trouble, would he continue to believe? Won’t Job curse God? Satan is not completely free here. He can only do what God gives him space to do here. Satan may initially not touch Job himself, but he may take everything else from him. In chapter 2 Job himself is affected.
The Suffering of Job
The suffering that befalls Job is indescribable. His cattle are robbed and his servants killed by the Sabeans. Sheep and goats and livestock guardians were struck by lightning. Camels are robbed and servants killed by the Chaldeans.
And worst of all, his children died in a storm when their house collapsed .
And then follows a word that is often quoted and sometimes abused. Job says: The LORD has given, the LORD has taken away, and blessed be the name of the LORD.
And then right after it it says: Despite everything, Job did not sin and did not reproach God in the slightest. Satan is not right! Job holds fast to God, does not lose his faith. In chapter 2 Job is covered with sores and even then in that second test Job continues to hold on to God. Satan is proven wrong again, after all Job did not speak an unruly word.
Source: William Blake, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
The conversations with his friends
All this is just the beginning of a long story. Because Job is challenged by his friends who say: Job, it is up to you!
All that suffering happened to you because things were not going well for you. But Job cannot accept this and then the intense, very high-level discussion begins about suffering, about the government of God, about guilt and innocence, about the power of God and man who enters into a debate with God himself. Job dares. The surprising thing about the Bible is that a person may enter into a dispute with God.
The Job of the discussion is often closer to the people than the Job who says: The Lord has given and taken away and blessed be the name of the Lord. The special thing is that in the end Job is proven right by God and that Job’s friends have not spoken justice about God.
The book of Job is the startling story of a man who appeals to the justice of God. A Job who does not hesitate to talk about all his disappointments and rebellion with God. But this man was eventually blessed and rehabilitated.
Brief overview of the book of Job
The first two chapters form the prologue of the book. It is prose (narrative) as is the closing chapter 42:7-17, in which we read that Job is richly blessed and receives double what he previously possessed. The friends have to make a sacrifice and Job prays for them, because they have not spoken correctly about God. Many interpreters are of the opinion that the prologue and the conclusion, the epilogue , did not originally belong to the book. However, there is no reason not to see these chapters as original. They are clearly related to the entire book. Prologue and epilogue frame the book and are called a frame story. To properly understand the book of Job, the frame story is difficult to miss.
Bron: Eberhard von Waechter (1762–1852), Wikimedia Commons (Publiek domein)
The remaining chapters are poetic (chapters 3- 42:6). After the three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar have comforted Job and were with him for seven days (!) and were silent , Job begins with his complaint: Let the day that I was born pass away…Why does God give light to him for whom the the way remains hidden, to whom does He block the way? (3:3 and 23).
Then comes the argument (4-5) of Eliphaz who clearly asks Job: Do you know any innocents whom he (God) destroyed? Job answers (6-7) Think about it, I am still within my rights. Is evil on my tongue? (6:29-30).
They continue to alternate monologues and dialogues. The friends stand up for God and Job becomes more rebellious. The friends say wise and valuable things, but they cannot convince Job. He feels that he has been wronged.
Up to and including chapter 27, Job answers the arguments of the three friends and concludes with the words: Yes! God has denied me my right, the Almighty has deeply embittered me (27:2) and: I maintain my innocence until my death (27:6).
Chapter 28 is about wisdom and the closing word is: The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom; To avoid evil is understanding (28:28).
Then follows the conclusion of Job’s argument: 29-31. He continues to profess his innocence and feels that he is being treated cruelly and why will God not listen to him?
Then (32-37) a fourth friend Elihu speaks. He is angry with the three other friends and with Job. He stayed silent for a long time because his friends are older. Elihu points out the greatness of God and makes it clear that God punishes evil and: how dare Job protest against a mighty and wise God?
In chapters 38-41, God’s answer comes from a storm: . Arise, Job’s weapon you; I’ll question you, tell me what you know. Where were you when I founded the earth? If you know so much, tell Me (38:3 and 4) . An impressive description follows of the omnipotence and wisdom of God in creation. Then Job (40: 3-5) and (42: 1-6) remains silent. He sees himself as insignificant and puts his hand over his mouth. He acknowledges that he spoke without any understanding and now that he has seen God’s omnipotence , he recants his words and bows down to the dust and dirt.
Job is shown his place. The little person cannot fathom the mystery of God’s creation. God is Lord of nature and the forces of chaos (symbols of the forces of chaos: hippopotamus and crocodile , 40:15-26). Job meets God Himself (!) and discovers that God cares for a person. He does not receive an answer to his questions, but is impressed by the encounter with God. God is free and does not have to explain anything to man, but he does choose the one who suffers wrongfully and enters into a personal relationship with that man.
Job’s judgment and questions prove to be correct! And also: Job refuses to renounce God and continues to believe in God’s omnipotence and responsibility (A. van de Beek, pages 76-86).
The basic idea of the book of Job can therefore be described as follows: man has to justify God, so God will also justify the believer one day in His time (Th. C Vriezen, AA van der Woude, page 272).
See sources consulted.
Then comes his reparation and the friends are proven wrong and God is angry with the friends who have not spoken rightly about God. After this Job lived another 140 years and saw his grandchildren down to the fourth generation . And then Job died, old and full of life (42:17).
Misunderstandings
The meaning of the book of Job can be misunderstood. It is not primarily about a defense of God’s government, but about the suffering of a righteous man: Job himself.
Or the misunderstanding that Job’s friends believe in just divine retribution, but that Job himself renounces it. However, Job emphatically asks for justice! (16:8 -22.; 19:25-29; 31:1-40) and finally receives that too (epilogue).
Four answers to the riddle of suffering in the book of Job
- The friends directly link suffering to guilt. This connection exists in the Bible, but the application to Job is condemned in 42:7.
- Suffering can purify a person. See Elihu’s speech (33:17-33).
- The revelation of God (38-41) rejects Job’s rebellion and leads him to the humble statement that God’s goodness and justice are beyond question, but cannot be measured. Man cannot fathom the government of God.
- In the prologue (the dispute with Satan) the element of trial in suffering comes to the fore.
Finally
Many questions surrounding the riddle of suffering will remain. The book of Job is for every person who struggles with suffering and has difficulty with God’s government. Job hopes to eventually meet God and then he no longer sees riddles and as far as expectations for the future are concerned, Job believes in justification after this life (Job 19:25-27).