I have read the book of Job more than once, however, I have
never done any in-depth study until now.
The name Job has two possible meanings: in Hebrew:
the persecuted one and in Arabic: Repentant one. I have always found the first and last
chapters quite interesting but the middle, while informative has not been as
memorable, in fact it was a challenge to read until now. I believe that my challenge with it was
because the book of Job is a very long poem and I am not that big on poetry –
sorry.
The
books from Genesis to Esther are all narrative books. They are fairly easy reads that cover: who,
what, when, where, how and sometimes why but because they are living stories we
can more readily identify with the contents and characters. Job begins another section---the poetical
books of the Bible---which also includes Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song
of Solomon, and Lamentations. Job is
admired worldwide as one of the most beautiful writings known to man. However,
it is more than an expressive, dramatic poetic writing because Job was a living
being who experienced the things we’re going to discover. The history of Job’s life helps us to discover
an age old question: Why does “senseless”
tragedy happen to people, especially those who “don’t seem” to deserve it? What’s amazing is that the answer to that
question is found in the very first chapter of Job, but before we review the
answer, let’s go a little deeper:
Introduction
The author of the book Job is
unknown but some scholars suggest that the author may have been Elihu (Job’s
friend), Solomon (the wisest King in the world), Moses (delivered the children
of Israel from Pharaoh and led them to the Promised Land) or Jehovah (God our
Father). The exact time period is also a
mystery although many scholars conclude that:
· Job is believed to have lived during the “Patriarchal Era” of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at or around the writings of Genesis 11 and 12;
· There is no mention of the Mosaic Law or the Exodus further
substantiating that the book of Job was written prior to those time periods. If that is the case, he probably would have
lived during Jacob and his twin brother, Essau’s lifetime because Job and
Eliphaz were friends. Eliphaz was one of
the first friends to give Job advice. Then
Eliphaz the Temanite replied to Job: (Job 4:1 NLT) and Eliphaz was the son of Essau: The sons of Esau were Eliphaz,
Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar,
Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and Amalek, who was born to Timna. (1 Chronicles 1:35-36
NLT). If we skip back to the time
Job lived in Uz, However, it is
not clear where Uz was. Uz is also
translated as Oz which means east as in the land of the East or the Middle
East. Oz is also associated with Edom
which would be our modern day southwestern Jordan and southeastern Israel. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
You who dwell in the land of Uz! ... (Lamentations 4:21 NKJV)
There is no mention of any other
priests in that time so we can assume the priesthood had not been established,
however, during the Patriarchal era the father served as the priest of his
household (children initially and then their children’s families (wife,
grandchildren) and each generation thereafter until the Patriarch died and
passed the responsibility on to the heir (the eldest son). This is one of the reasons there was so much
emphasis placed on a man having sons, not only for Patriarchal purposes but
also to main the families’ estate, and bloodline.
Job Chapter 1: Job is a man of integrity, good
character, responsible, dependable, good values and honest. He reverenced and feared God. He wasn’t afraid of him he greatly respected
him. It amazes me how people who lived
in an era where there was no written bible, churches, priests (pastors),
technology seemed to have just as much if not more reverence for God than we do
with all of the tools that we have at our fingertips. Remember the story of Joseph and his deep
love for God? Just as God spoke directly
to the Patriarchs, Moses and many others, I believe he spoke with and had an intimate
relationship with Job.
He had 10 children, seven sons and three daughters and
owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female
donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the most affluent and richest
person in all of the east. (Job 1:2-3 NLT) By today's standards he would have been
classified as a billionaire, similar to a Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, etc. Remember during that time period their wealth
was measured in tangibles like livestock and/or agriculture versus stocks,
bonds, etc. which can be here today and gone tomorrow.
Job just like many of us prayed
for his adult children consistently. Granted
they should be in a position to pray for themselves, but because of lifestyle
choices they are not so we stand in the gap for them. It’s the least we can do especially since
someone stood in the gap for us. His sons used to take turns hosting parties
in their homes, always inviting their three sisters to join them in their
merrymaking. When the parties were over, Job would get up early in the morning
and sacrifice a burnt offering for each of his children, thinking: “Maybe one
of them sinned by defying God inwardly.” Job made a habit of this sacrificial
atonement, just in case they’d sinned.
Job 1:3-4 (The Message)
One day when the
angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came
along with them. God singled out Satan and said, “What have you been
up to?” Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on
earth.” God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one
quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating
evil.” Satan retorted, “So do you think
Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had
it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to
him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can’t lose! “But what do you think would happen if you
reached down and took away everything that is his? He’d curse you right to your
face, that’s what.” God replied,
“We’ll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don’t hurt him.” Then Satan left the presence of God.
I’m
out of time, we’ll have to pick up tomorrow
In
His New Excellence,
Tania
Not Tanya
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