Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. Sep 09, 2012 this book is an attempt to approach the problem of evil. One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. The message of job is both a comfort to us in our own suffering and a model for our ministry to others in. It teaches humility as god reminds job who is really in control, steadfastness as job refuses to curse god despite his circumstances, and joy and reward when the latter part of.
This summary of the book of job will help with many different forms of bible study. It is quite possible that job may have been an israelite. Thomas walks us through the book of job and considers what the bible says about our darkest moments. It is an unusual book and most difficult, to say the least. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. What, then, is the real message in the book of job. The book of job opens in verse one by telling us that job was a blameless, upright man who feared god and turned away from evil. Ive seen it myselfseen fools putting down roots, and then, suddenly, their houses are cursed. It offers, he believes, the strong comfort which comes from knowing that someone else has been there before.
The hot temper of a fool eventually kills him, the jealous anger of a simpleton does her in. Job 5 msg dont blame fate when things go wrong bible. Job s suffering did not come because he was bad but rather because of his unwavering faithfulness to god. He was also very wealthyseven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a. The book raises the question, but it does not answer it. This is important, for the point of the whole narrative, we shall see, is to expose the. The book is considered to be one of the oldest books in the bible. Several suggestions have been put forth as plausible authors.
In addition to them, the patriarch job is pointed out in verse 11 as an outstanding example of steadfast faith in the way he handled severe trials. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Dont blame fate when things go wrong call for help, job, if you think anyone will answer. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering, and invites us to trust gods wisdom and character. 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.
Introduction to the book of job sermon by gordon curley powerpoint slides to accompany this talk are available on request email. The most likely candidates are job, elihu, moses, and solomon. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and. God says to job, now i want you to pray for your friends these three dear men, so stubborn, so sure that they had all the answers, so well meaning, so sincere, so dedicated, but such utter blunderers. Oct 12, 2016 what is the final message of the book of job about. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him. The message of the book of job is that righteous people can suffer even though they have not done anything. Look at the specific lessons we can learn about responding to trials as revealed in the book of job. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to god and.
From internal evidence, such as the similarity of sentiment and language to those in the psalms and proverbs see psalm 88 and 89, the prevalence of the idea of wisdom, and the style and character of the composition, it is supposed by some to have been written. The message of job is both a comfort to us in our own suffering and a model for our ministry to others in pain. God knew that it was there, and he knew that in shaking this godly, blameless man there would arise some imperfection into his life, and that it would need to be purged. The book of job is the story of a normal human being who is beset by misfortune and suffering. 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. This part of the bible touches fundamental question of guilt, punishment, justice, good and evil. Instead, god ended the book on a much more positive note. He addresses the difficult question of the relationship between gods sovereignty and the existence of evil, sin, and suffering. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of job in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork.
Job 1 the message msg 1 job was a man who lived in uz. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. We live in a world longing for comfort and hope, and such hope is found in the sovereign god who sees, who is good, and who is faithful. The book of job by derek thomas ligonier ministries. Its portrayal of one mans sufferings, the ineffective responses of his friends, and his struggle for faith and. Elihu was one of jobs friendsnot one of the three who had come to comfort job at the beginning of the book, but one who arrives later and offers the last and longest single speech to job. The book of job, scholars agree, might be one of the most difficult ones in the bible.
This not only seems to involve god in the performance of evil. In every generation protests arise saying that if god is good, then there should be no pain, no suffering or death in this world. 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. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. Jobs sufferings get new meaning in this book of the old testament. The real message of job is not jobs suffering because god would never end the story with suffering. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to god and hated evil with a passion. The book of job does not specifically name its author.
Hartley identifies six themes that are part of the message of job pp. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. Job himself, who could have best recalled his own words. 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. Job made a habit of this sacrificial atonement, just in case theyd sinned. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Job 5 msg dont blame fate when things go wrong bible gateway. The book of job is poetic the book of job is hazardous the book of job is history two. He went through the rituals, but when he was tested he found. In any case, at the heart of the message of the book of job is the wisdom with respect to answering the question as to how god is involved in the problem of human suffering. The book of job tells of god sending satan to do harm to job, to test just how righteous job really is. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight.
The message of the book of job is that righteous people can suffer even though they have not done anything wrong. The last of the book is a beautiful picture of what james calls the tender mercies of god toward job james 5. Derek thomas this twelvemessage series, the book of job, is now available. Jun 02, 2008 when god shook job, the sediment colored the water, and you find job saying some terrible things about god in this book. What do you think is the main message of the book of job. The book of job deals with a most perplexing problem. Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no. Since abraham lived until the age of 175 years genesis 25.
Sermon from the book of job lessons from the book of job. So the last thing is, therefore, i despise myself, and. Gods answer to job gives keys to understanding why good people suffer from evil. In the midst of suffering, we must never lose our hope in god. A great diversity of opinion exists as to the authorship of the book of job book. The real message of job is not job s suffering because god would never end the story with suffering. The date of the authorship of the book of job would be determined by the author of the book of job. The book of job, book of hebrew scripture that is often counted among the masterpieces of world literature.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Job admitted that he knew about god, but he didnt know god for himself. If job wrote the book, then he knew about the events that occurred in heaven job 12 after god rebuked him in chapters 3842. Family and fortune 67 one day when the angels came to report to god, satan, who was the designated accuser, came along with them. A key to understanding the first theme of the book is to notice the debate between god and satan in heaven and how it. What is the final message of the book of job about. Led by suffering to the heart of god the message peterson, eugene h. Intro to job biblica the international bible society. I must trust, fall down and trust a sovereign god with my life. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in jesus christ. Therefore, since job lived 140 years after the events described in the book, job may have been 200 years old.
Job, who is sure in his innocence, does everything in order to serve god as good as possible. Job is a pious believer who is struck by misfortune so great that it cannot be explained in the usual way as a prompting to repentance, a warning, let alone a punishment the arguments later. 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 book of job tells how one man suddenly awakened to the anarchy rampant in the world, yet his attachment to god outlived the ruin of his tidy system. As is customary with epic poems, it begins with a prologue that sets up the story line chs 12. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. Which poetic book focuses on why bad things happen to good peopl. It is found in the third section of the biblical canon known as the ketuvim writings. In the course of one day, job receives four messages, each bearing separate. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. At the same time, it also asks the question we rarely. Its portrayal of one mans sufferings, the ineffective responses of his friends, and his struggle for faith and understanding mirrors our own experiences in the world.
The book treats two major themes and many other minor ones, both in the narrative framework of the prologue chaps. Despite its focus on challenges and sufferings, the book of job speaks a message of great hope to the world. Some believe the book of job gives a resounding yes. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. While it may be that the author intended his book to be a contribution to an ongoing highlevel discussion of major theological issues in an exclusive company of learned men, it seems more likely that he intended his story to be told to godly sufferers who like job were struggling with the crisis of faith brought on by prolonged bitter suffering. The question is, how can mere mortals get right with god. Job is an unlikely candidate because the books message rests on jobs ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of gods allcontrolling will. Dec 17, 2019 the book of job is often upheld as an example of godly patience while suffering. If moses was the author, the date would be around 1440 b. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. Segal, one of the first modern scholars to write extensively. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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.
This is due to the fact that while the book itself is an inspired message, the philosophical conclusions of the four men involved with job are not inspired andor revealed conclusions. Elihu, the fourth friend who spoke toward the end of the story. With this additional short summary of the book of job you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture. In job, this prologue serves as a literary device to give the reader a perspective that the characters in the story lack. Part of the greatness of the book of job is its ability to raise several questions about life and relationship with god at the same time. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Job continueshow can mere mortals get right with god. Doubts of jobs friends reflect an attitude to suffering which had existed before. Job certainly did suffer, but there is more to his story than just his suffering. This book tells a story of job who is loyal and obedient to god but has to go through much suffering.
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