UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF JOB

 

THE THREE MAIN POINTS OF JOB

1. Human suffering is not always deserved. In some cases we do bring it upon ourselves by neglecting our health, engaging in risky behavior, or by sin and/or immorality. The real problem of suffering comes when it is apparently undeserved or unrelated to anything which we have or have not done. This is the point that Job argued on his behalf--that his suffering was undeserved--his friends argued that is was somehow Job’s fault through sin.

 

2. If all suffering is deserved it will persuade those who hold that view to falsify either the character of the person who is suffering or the character of God. Job’s friends argue that he is the deserving sinner, while Job argues that the Lord has acted unfairly towards him and is indifferent to his (and human) suffering. Job, however wronged he feels by God, refused to condemn or curse God for what is happening to him.

 

3. The third point has been the most difficult for scholars and everyone who reads the book to digest--and this is what gives the book its seemingly inconclusive conclusion: That there is no way for humans to understand the meaning of suffering. The scholars say that is God’s argument in this book--that suffering is beyond human comprehension. Could there possibly be something else that God is saying to His people through this puzzling book?

 

THE SETTING

Job is set during the Patriarchal period of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were nomadic herders of large flocks of cattle, sheep, and goats. Sacrifices to God were offered in a family setting without an elaborate priesthood or temples. God and man had a very personal relationship.

 

The location is Uz also known as Edom, Kedem, or the east in ancient writings. We also refer to portions of this area as the land of Canaan. This was the period when God revealed Himself, first to Abraham, and then to his son Isaac and later to Jacob. These would become the Patriarchs of the Hebrew nation. Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him as righteousness. Through all his human weaknesses and mistakes he grew in obedience and trust toward God. Later his sonS Isaac and Jacob also grew to know, trust, and believe God. The book of Genesis ends with the Hebrew nation firmly established and God’s plan in full operative state.

 

That Job would have lived in this era speaks to God revealing Himself to man through the unfolding plan for the children of Israel and all of mankind. Job is one of the earliest books of the Bible and God has much to say to His family through this book. It is a valuable “manual of operation” for us and gives us a great deal of important information and instructions.

 

SATAN’S ATTACK

Job’s trials began when Satan, the Accuser, came before God and accused him. (1.6-12) The Lord asked Satan where he had been and Satan relied that he had been “roaming the earth.” Satan had been cast down from heaven and the earth is his sphere of control. He is the spirit of the power of the air. God asked if he had noticed His servant Job, an upright and blameless man who feared God and shunned evil.

 

The Accuser relied that Job was faithful only because of the protective fence that God had built around him to protect him. Take that fence away, Satan argued, and Job will turn away and blaspheme God. The Lord gave permission for Satan to do whatever he wanted to Job’s family and possessions, but not to hurt Job himself. The lesson here is that God “permitted” the Accuser to afflict Job. This shows, that ultimately, God is in control of everything that happens in this world and to us.

Later, after destroying Job’s family and possessions the Accuser would be allowed to afflict Job with bodily harm and sickness. Job would lament his predicament, but he never blasphemed or cursed God.

 

JOB’S STEADFASTNESS

Job refuses to blame God throughout the book (27.2-6) for his troubles, even though his wife tells him to curse God and die (2.9). He also insists, throughout the book, that in the end justice prevails (27.7-23) in whatever God does. The wicked will ultimately come to a bad end and God will execute His plans (4.8, 8.13, 11.20, 15.17-35, 18.5-21, 20.5-29).

 

Job’s friends originally come to console him. When Job laments and wishes he had not been born, praying that he might die, his friends become irritated with him and suggest that Job has brought this suffering upon himself. They contend that Job has committed some kind of sin which justifies this “punishment”.

 

Job is complaining, “Why Me?”, but his virtue lies in the fact that he refused to blame or curse God for what is happening to him. He wishes he were dead, but acknowledges that God is God and there must be a reason why this is happening to him--but that he has not sinned to deserve this. Man cannot argue with God’s sovereignty.

 

At the conclusion of the book Job is vindicated. His friends are chastised by God for blaming Job and they are instructed to present a sacrificial offering to the Lord for themselves in Job’s presence. Job is told to pray for them and they will not be held guilty for not speaking the truth about God and Job. God then blesses Job by restoring everything to him in a double portion. Job lives to be 140 and dies in peace.

 

JOB A TYPE OF JESUS

Job, of course, is a type of Jesus. What did Jesus ever do to deserve to suffer? He only healed the sick, raised the dead, and spoke God’s truth. Every day of His earthly ministry people were conspiring to kill Jesus for doing good--but God prepared a table before Him in the presence of His enemies.

 

Satan attacked the Lord in the wilderness trying to get the Lord to worship him and blaspheme God. Afterwards the Lord attacked Satan’s kingdom by healing and raising the dead. The Lord never gave in but remained focused on His mission of doing the Father’s will. The Lord was under attack constantly by the religious order of the day. He was accused daily for being a devil, but He destroyed the works of the devil through His obedience and devotion to the Father. The Lord paid the ultimate price by losing all and dying on the cross for our sins.

 

Job is a type of Jesus and this is how we are supposed to approach the problems which we will encounter in our journey to the millennial kingdom (the joy set before us). Understanding Job as our handbook for spiritual warfare will help us get through the difficult days ahead. The instructions in Job will help us to go on the offensive against the enemy. We will battle by standing fast on Yeshua the Rock, and the Torah, the word of God.

 

STANDING ON THE ROCK

The Lord is our rock and the message in Job is to stand fast no matter what is happening to us, or around us. Job understood one thing; when all else was shaking around him--God is sovereign, and even if we don’t understand what is happening to us, and around us, He is in control.

 

Job lamented his situation and sufferings--but he remained stead fast and true to God throughout the ordeal. God wants us to be steadfast and immoveable, always abounding in the Lord. Paul understood this concept and embraced God’s plan for him everyday. He understood that everything that happened to him was changing him from glory to glory into the image of the Lord. Life was an opportunity to grow in relationship and experience with the Lord in preparation for life after the resurrection from the dead. We are being prepared and trained for the millennial kingdom and we are becoming kings and priests--to teach the nations. We grow in the Lord by recognizing this and spending time seeking the Lord for answers, direction, and grace to endure, while knowing we are being prepared for a future in the millennial kingdom. This will get us through the coming difficulties of this life. We need to have this millennial vision!

 

A HANDBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The entire book of Job is a battle of words. Satan accusing Job, the friend’s accusing him, Job battling back with his arguments. It is all words and argument. We battle with the word of God. If we know the word we can stand fast against Satan by trusting what God has said and wielding our “swords” in battle. We are in a constant battle of “words”--God’s word verses the words of the Accuser.

 

The enemy is a broadcaster. He works through the air broadcasting his lies. He attacks us in our minds with his thoughts, he tempts us, he accuses us and twists the word. We battle back by understanding what the word says and standing on the promises of God. We understand God’s word and we counter attack through the truths therein.

 

Job is an exhausting book to read and understand. The arguments fly back and forth, it is difficult to understand what each person is saying, it gets confusing--but through it all Job stands on the rock of God’s truth. Warfare has the same chaotic confusion. In the end Job is rewarded with God’s blessing on his life and Job’s life is resurrected and restored. God wants us to fight like Job and endure until the end. Eye has not seen nor ear heard those things which God has prepared for those who love him!

 

TRUTHS IN THE HANDBOOK

The book of Job is full of truth. It reveals a lot about God’s character, ways, power, and sovereignty. If we focus on these areas we can begin to understand God’s ways and how He works through history, and in current events. God has been preparing a people to rule and reign in the millennial kingdom for centuries. Every generation has lived their lives being prepared for this future work. We don’t just live this life, die, go to heaven and retire. We are being prepared to teach the nations in the millennial kingdom. Then the work will expand to the entire universe.

 

In Job we see God chastising man through the weather, we see justice for the poor and judgment on the wicked. God shows us His character in this book. We see His sovereignty and protection. Man’s sinful state is exposed in the book. We also see the creation of the world and are told the angels were present at that time. God shows us how the enemy works and explains “darkness” to us. We are told to expect tribulation and troubles, but that all can be overcome if we endure to the end and trust in God. Finally, we are told there is a resurrection from the dead and a greater life to come.

 

The next portion of our study will break down each chapter and the main focus of the chapter. We will learn about the war going on around us and how to fight back in the name of the Lord. This will help us to understand what is happening to us and how we are being prepared for a future with the Lord as sons of God. We will go through each chapter of Job looking for key passages of instruction that teach our hands to war. There are many truths in Job and we can learn how to do battle with the enemy in the name of the Lord by examining some of these key truths.

 

He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Psalm 18.34