Job

What do you see in this book that tells you about the Original Reader?

      To really understand who the original readers were was difficult with this book, but there are some hints about who the original readers would have been.  A few things I found in the book were the people had a systematic way to view God. They thought if you were good, God would be good to you, and if you were bad, God would curse you. We see Eliphaz with this view in Job 4:2-27 and especially in 4:7 when he says, “When have the upright been destroyed?” We even see Job talk this way out of frustration and anguish in Job 10:13-15. They saw having gray hair and being old a sign of wisdom in Job 15:10. Eliphaz seems to have the most incorrect view of God throughout and again we see him describing God as a system in Job 22:21-30. They seemed to have an “appease the gods” type mentality when dealing with God. Something I think we still have in Christian circles today.  Job doesn't say anything about going to one of the Levites for seeking repentance.  This leads us to believe this may been written before the Law was written.  In Job 2:11 we here of Eliphaz for the first time.  Eliphaz is a name from the line of Edom as written in Gen 36:10.  This means that the readers would have to  have been living after Esau.

What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

      This was difficult for me to pick up on as we were reading, but looking back after reading the book I can see that it is someone who knew God well. He didn't struggle with writing down the tough questions that the characters bring up. He seemed like someone who really knew God well and someone who had experienced God. Someone confident in what they were saying and in who God is. Not afraid to finish the book without really answering the questions of why, but understood that God is more concerned with us knowing the Who. I don't have any specific places where I found this, but more of a general thought that I came to after reading the entire book.

What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the main idea?

      I'll start with some of the repeated ideas. I didn't really find that they all had to do with the main idea. I saw a lot of negativity and despair from the characters in this book. Mainly with Job as he goes through this grieving process after losing everything, even his health. Elihu in Job 34:5-9 is super critical of Job and is completely negative with all that he says about him. The men talking with Job continue to bring up their made up system of God. That He always punishes sin on this earth and always blesses the righteous on this earth. So how could Job be righteous if he is not being blessed. There is a strong theme of righteousness and wickedness. Sarcasm is huge in this book. At least in this translation. Almost every time someone stops talking, the next guy complains about them like this in Job 18:2, “How long before you stop talking? Speak sense if you want us to answer!” Even God, at the end of the book responds in a sarcastic way explaining how ridiculous Job's complaints against God are. Because, God is in fact, God. That makes everything He does perfect, and He alone is sovereign.

What is the primary reason this book is written

      I think the purpose of this book can be found at the very beginning in Job 1:21 when Job says, “I came naked form my mother's womb, and I will be taken when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord.” Jobs first reaction to his loss was this, and this was the correct response. Later he loses his way, but God brings him back in chapters 38-41. God lays out who He is and why we have no right to question Him. We just must praise His name for He is worthy. Even when we don't know the why, He is still God, He is still just, and He is still in control. This response may not mean much to a non believer who just wants questions answered, but this is God's response to the people in this book, and I think to all people who read its pages.

Summary: God is just and trustworthy even when circumstances are at their worst.

What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

      My favorite thing I saw about God's character is found in Job 2:3. God delights in the righteousness of Job. He is so incredibly proud of him. In Job 1:21 the Lord gives and takes away. Job explains a lot about the greatness of God in Job 9:2-10. There Job says He “spread out the heavens” and “shakes the earth from its place, and its foundations tremble.” There is so much in here that we have to filter using what we already know of God's character. Because Job is responding in grief and anger he says a lot of things with a heart of frustration and doesn't always speak truth about who God is. In Job 10:11-12 Job says that God is the one who formed him by knitting his bones and sinews together. God is described as one who cannot be fully discovered in Job 11:7. “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer” Job writes in Job 14:5. God is the one who decides how long we spend on this earth, to the very minute. Chapters 26 and 38 give too many examples of God's character and nature to write. The two passages are full of who God is. We see how great and awesome He is, and why we worship Him. God has all authority because of who He is and what He can do. He can do anything He pleases, and He chooses to be patient with man.

What does this book show about God's redemptive plan for mankind?

      To start off this question I saw in Job 9:2-3 that man unable to be declared innocent before God. The verse doesn't say it, but man needs a savior, a mediator to make him holy before God. It may be a little far fetched, but this story can be related back to the passage in Genesis when God tells Mary that Satan will strike you offspring's heel, but your offspring will crush his head. You could say that Satan struck Job's heel, but in the end Job crushed Satan by humbling himself before God. An amazing passage in Job 9:33-35 Job speaks of Job needing a mediator between him and God. So early on in history and Job already realized his need for a mediator. Someone who would come and rescue him from his sin and fear.

Personal Application

      The biggest thing I came away with as I read this book was the word humility. After all of Job's rantings, and everyone's judgments, God comes in the story and blows everyone away with His greatness. He humbles them all by what He has to say and Job immediately realizes his pride and humbles himself before God. God is God and we are not is what I've taken away from this book. It's hard to be prideful when we compare ourselves to God. When we really sit back and think about who He is, it's humbling. He does everything perfectly and has no flaws. Who are we to criticize Him? Who are we to make jabs at His character or sovereignty? We know God as loving, gracious and kind, but that shouldn't stop us from seeing Him for all of who He is. When we do that, it is a humbling experience. I'm walking away from this book with a new respect for God and His greatness, and His patience. I'm walking away humbled and honored that I am able to serve an awesome God.